Party ID as of August 1st.
Democrats 36.8%
Republican 33.3%
Independent 29.9%
Congressional Ballot
Date
Dem
GOP
08-02-09
38%
43%
Time for some more leftist moaning!
Being a moderate, rather than a leftist, there is no way I'd trust the Republicans on economic, fiscal and quality of life issues. To take a robust economy that had generated 23 million jobs and a federal government living well within its means and, radically, changing that trajectory through idiologically-driven whims and follies on the part of Bush the Inept, aided and abetted by a servile party in Congress, only to bequeath an economy haemorrhaging jobs at a rate not seen since the recession of 1981/82 is unforgivable. Given that the trajectory was one of a year on year rise in budget surplus, it was clearly foolish to cut taxes at a time of 1) prosperity and 2) war
In the post-Depression era, Democrats have proven themselves to be the ones who have tended to preside over more robust economic growth and job creation; along with a greater rise across the board rise in prosperity, which is why I'm optimistic moving forward. I'll gladly take this president's pragmatic center-left approach over the last eight years of governance with all the finesse of an idiologically-driven cackhanded inept - complete with the end result to vindicate that!
The fact of life is that the Democratic Party is pragmatically center-left; the Republican Party is dogmatically right-wing. Even in Congress, if there is a pragmatic center-right, it's among Democrats - and much to the exasperation of progressives therein lies the checks and balances from within on President Obama (who is, of course, a mainstream pragmatically center-left Democrat). As far as Bush the Inept, to be fair, goes, however, there were no checks and balances from within the GOP, none whatsoever
The Dem party is "pragmatic"? Hardly. Though of course you got the Blue Dogs but most of them are either populist, like yourself or Clintonistas. There aren't any real Conservative Dems anymore except for a few. Of course, most conservative Democrats are of a populist hue
Free Trade with Columbia? Not sure I'd support that. I only favor unconditional free trade with First World Nations (i.e. those who have comparable, or better, labor standards, etc). Human rights would be a factor too
Or raise taxes to comply with it? Would Bush have even signed a Statutory Pay-As-You-Go-Act, which is something which would have committed Congress to fiscal responsibility?
FTR, the House recently passed the Statutory Pay as You Go Act of 2009, which should it be passed by the Senate will be signed into law
Democrats aren't in denial when it comes to climate change
Medical Malpractice Reform is something I'd support
That is in the eyes of the beholder
When it comes to cutting taxes has any other president in history showed such blatant favoritism towards the rich?
The time for fiscal restraint, surely, is when the economy is doing well
Tom DeLay? What about Dick Armey, his predecessor as Majority Leader, who when asked about the increasing number of earmarks answered: "To the victor, the spoils"
Incidentally, there are plenty of Republicans,
now, who love their "pork"; indeed, they requested 40% of them in the Omnibus Appropriations Act FY 2009. Furthermore, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer noted that Democrats reduced the total number of earmarks last year by 43%
If you think I'll be letting the GOP off the hook so easily, now that they are gone, you can think again
Besides, are the Republicans
really committed to fiscal responsibility?
Just watching Gov Bobby Jindal blast Obama following the president's address to Congress was amusing. First, Jindal called for a new pile of tax cuts and then proceeded to warn that Democrats would "saddle future generations with debt". Ahem
Haven't future generations been already saddled with debt precisely because of reckless Republican tax cuts - and spending?
Lets just see what happens with the economy and the deficit moving forward and see whether or not the Democrats succeed in cutting back on spending once the crisis has passed
Well, he was one of the few who did then
I agree in so far that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were just part of the problem.
BTW, since when have Republicans been fervent advocates of regulation? Especially, ones from Texas!